Even though the medium has apparently lost some of its erstwhile influence, having been relegated from its MTV tastemaking prime to the recesses of Youtube and the likes, music videos are still a surefire way of bolstering the storytelling aspects of your music with a visual representation. Or just an excuse to cobble together a few scenes of your band playing in a warehouse with some unrelated cinematic shots thrown in for shits and giggles. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.
Luckily, today’s premiere is a strong argument towards the former, as Could Seed dish out a magnificent video that gives a whole new vibe and meaning to their song “Vents Solaires” (that’s ‘Solar Winds‘ in French for all you non-francophone people out there)! The song comes off the band’s recent The Drop Crisis album, where it sits snugly as the fourth among seven tracks.
French four-piece Could Seed are hard to typecast as a group, borrowing from the far reaches of post-rock all the way into stoner and math rock to fully accentuate the sound they envision for their collective endeavor. “Vents Solaires” is, for the most part at least, a quite subdued, gentle post-rock affair that’s reminiscent of a largely guitar-driven version of Sigur Rós or The Album Leaf. This marks it as one of the quiet moment of The Drop Crisis‘ internal arc.
Before we move any further – how about we give that video a look, hm? See you on the flipside!
As we all know by now, the shimmering, tender soundscape Could Seed have conjured up for “Vents Solaires” is accompanied by a clip that’s hauntingly beautiful and at times vaguely psychedelic. An old woman goes through mundane actions such as flying a kite, roasting marshmallows over an open fire, and simply enjoying the sunshine. Where we get a glimpse at the true nature of these moments is when she’s presented against a white background; from there, it becomes increasingly clear that these aren’t just memories of yesterday’s fun adventures – these are wistful recollections of a life well lived, experienced by one close to the end of their time on this beautiful blue marble.
Presented by itself, this song already had a strong narrative appeal; coupled with these visuals it becomes clear that Could Seed put a little more forethought into their music than the serene surface simplicity of “Vents Solaires” might let on. I’d be remiss not to welcome the group themselves as they offer a glimpse at their own thought process, so here’s what they have to say about this stunning music video:
‘Among all the cathartic burns and sad, tragic albums of post-rock, Could Seed takes the side of bringing a glimmer of hope and happiness into the storms of life. “Vent Solaires” is just such an image, the clip retracing the sum of beautiful memories of a fulfilled and worthwhile life at death’s door. A few minutes to deny, to fear, and finally to understand that it’s time to serenely move on to another stage of the journey.‘
With this surprisingly mature outlook on life and its inevitable conclusion, Could Seed elevate what was already a fantastic song into spheres of absolute distinction, a feat many bands out there should observe carefully and take notes on. It’s time to make music videos relevant again!
“Vents Solaires”, as I’ve mentioned previously, comes off the band’s latest album The Drop Crisis, which was released on October 4 via Klonosphere Records. If you enjoyed what you heard (and saw) above, why not give Could Seed a follow on their social media? Here are all the links you need: Facebook | Instagram | Youtube. For more music, you can check out – and potentially even buy – The Drop Crisis over at their Bandcamp profile.
